Not a Hero
by Kermitfries
Summary: This is what love does to a man's defenses. It destroys them. And destroys him. Reid/OFC. Tyler also gets a relationship.
1. Not a hero

A/N: This is another teaser chapter. It's something I thought of and wrote...so I'm just seeing if this is what people wanna read. So send a review and maybe I'll turn it into a complete story. I know this is a whole lot shorter than my last teaser chapter...sorry. They all can't be like five pages long.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Covenant -- or the beginning quote. I also got 'not a hero' from a Simple plan song. But I did invent Peyton.

Warning: Violence and language. Maybe sex, but maybe not. There isn't a mary sue, but there is a female character in which Reid falls for. Redundant, I know and that's why I'm warning you.

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Not a hero

_Everyday I tried figuring out the first sign. The moment I didn't see._

"Reid?" Her eyes had gone wide and with a gasp of surprise, Peyton rushed forward. She fell to her knees beside Reid's crumbled form, her hands groping, searching for some form of life. Trembling hands found a faint pulse. Peyton pulled back and stared evenly down at Reid. Wasn't this the plan? Incapcitate the next strongest member of the covenant. Reid Garwin. Isn't this what she worked so hard for? So why did she have such a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach, and why were tears pushing at the back of her throat? Why was she trembling? All for some boy, hardly worth the trouble. But he wasn't just some boy; he was a seemingly innocent boy who hadn't done her any wrong. Who didn't deserve this. "Reid?" Peyton asked again, her trembling whisper barely reaching her own ears.

Blue eyes snapped open and Reid gasped loudly, jerking awake. Peyton reached out to him, to steady him, disorientation thick in his wild gaze. Reid drew away from her touch. "Don't fucking touch me," he snapped harshly, his voice raw and raspy. Peyton sat back on her heels, staring unashamed at him. Reid didn't want to admit it, but he wasn't just disoriented. He hurt, everywhere. He felt more exhausted than he'd ever felt his entire life. And that's when he realized what had happened. He had used more tonight than he ever had before, and he knew he was right there on the edge, ready to plung into addiction. It hadn't been Peyton's fault. She hadn't coaxed him into using. But she had gotten him alone, deserted in some abandoned town. She had told Chase where exactly to find him. And she forced him into a fight they both knew he couldn't win.

Reid hadn't ascended. And Chase not only ascended, but possessed the power of his father. But was it just that? Did Reid feel this growing anger just because he knew how fragile he was right now -- just because he could feel the power coursing through his veins; just because he was itching to use it, even though he knew he was too weak to produce anything substantial? Or was he really angry because Peyton had finally coaxed him into letting down his barriers...and then she abandoned him? And he was pissed for ever letting someone, a girl no less, get that close to him. Close enough to gut him.

"You've been greatly damaged, Reid," Peyton said quickly as Reid shifted in an attempt to climb to his feet. "You shouldn't damage yourself more by moving."

"Shut up," Reid snapped, his voice holding a dangerous edge. He ignored her and let his anger fuel him as he pulled himself painfully to his feet. Peyton quickly rose to her feet and he frowned at the ease in which she stood. Reid gripped his stomach slightly as a rush of pain summerged him. He wavered slightly where he stood and Peyton took a hesitant step forward. Reid held up a trembling hand to still her movement. "Don't touch me," he repeated, stumbling away from her. "What are you still doing here?"

"You can't be left alone in this condition," Peyton admonished. "You could --"

"Die?" Reid finished. "This is kind've counter-productive, don't you think? After you set me up to be slaughtered." Reid stumbled further from Peyton, in search of a door, a way out. Peyton solemnly followed him. Reid stopped suddenly and Peyton paused, watching him closely. "Give me a ride into town," Reid said quietly, his gaze darting up to meet hers and then darting away just as quickly.

Reid had such a lovely gaze, intense, heated. Peyton used to love knowing he was looking at her, but now it pained her. "No," she said quietly. "Not yet. We aren't finished here."


	2. Lost Cause

**A/N:** I highly doubt this story was received well. But I realize that I've been putting Reid into immediate danger in most of my stories -- so seeing his normal, everyday side doesn't happen often in my fics. So I decided to make one in which that does happen. And I've realized that I've been neglecting the rest of the covenant. This is also the first ficlet of mine in which Reid is definitely **not **infatuated with Tyler. It's just something I'm working on and I'm not sure if it'll continue -- that depends on how many people are reading it. And reviewing it. But this is the second chapter. This is thus the beginning of the ficlet. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer **- obviously I don't own the covenant. Or the sexy men within said movie.

**Warning **- explicit language. Probably violence in future chapters. And Sex in future chapters. Same shit you see on the news...

**SIX MONTHS EARLIER**

"Ouch," Reid all but yelped. "That shit hurts."

"And you're supposed to be the resident bad boy," Tyler scoffed as he threaded the needle through Reid's skin again. He flinched as Tyler pulled the string taunt and looped it back through the skin. "This is what happens when you throw a beer bottle at the back of someone's head," he added in what he hoped was a disapproving tone. Sure, he laughed when Aaron Abbot got hit...but who didn't? It was peer pressure, honestly. "Have we learned anything?"

"Stack up on ammunintion before engaging in war," Reid answered promptly with a sly smirk.

"That's not what I said," Tyler argued quietly, fighting back his own grin. "I said 'think before you act.'"

"Right. I was just putting it in my own words. Isn't that what teachers...teach us to do?" He asked, grimacing when Tyler pulled the string taunt again. He glanced down at the cut on his arm that Tyler was currently stitching up. "Do you like take a sewing class or something? Why're you so good at that?"

"Fuck you," Tyler told him calmly. "My mother used to own a store. And she'd sell these dresses that she had sewn."

"And she taught you the way of her craft?" Reid asked him, his voice suddenly serious. Glancing up from the needle Tyler saw the grin plastered across his face.

"Fuck you," he murmured as he finished the task and broke off the thread. "Next time you need stitches you can go to the fucking hospital," he added as he rose to his feet.

Reid caught onto Tyler's arm before the boy could stray too far from him. Tyler stilled beneath his touch, staring down at him cautiously. "You get so worked up, baby boy," he murmured.

"Because you're an ass," Tyler told him, pulling his arm from Reid's grasp. But Reid quickly reclaimed it and pulled Tyler closer. "What?"

"I'm trying to fucking apologize if you would just give me a second," Reid snapped but then his voice softened. "I'm sorry I was bagging on your mom for making you all girly, alright? It clearly wasn't your fault."

"You're an ass," Tyler repeated, gently smacking Reid upside the head. "I fucking hate you."

"Aw, you don't mean that," Reid purred as Tyler walked away from him. The younger boy made for the door. "You're abandoning me?" He demanded.

"Yeah," Tyler scoffed. "Don't wait up." And then he was gone and Reid stared at the door dumbly. What was he supposed to do now? Nicky had suspended both he and Aaron for breaking a shit load of dishes and disturbing the other customers. Their fights hadn't ever been quite so blown out before -- not right there in the middle of Nicky's. But Reid hadn't been sleeping well lately and he was irritable. He knew he had bruises on his hips from where Aaron had shoved him against the pool table. His hand was purple from where Aaron had smashed it with a pool ball. The back of Aaron's head would need stitches after Reid had gotten pissed and thrown a beer bottle at him. He hoped the alcohol in the beer stung real bad. Aaron's face had already started to swell when Nicky had thrown Reid off of him. Reid's face wasn't swelling, but his cheek was pinker than it should be, and the color was distinct against his pale skin. His chin had split open when he hit the ground. And there was a shallow cut along his temple from where Aaron had broken a bottle over his head. Reid was actually glad that Caleb and Pogue hadn't been there. He didn't need them breaking up his fights. He _liked _his fights. And Tyler didn't want to interfere. Tyler was nearly drunk and he couldn't give a shit, but Brody had to come up behind him and start shit.

Tyler had been pissed at Reid as he drove them both back to the dorms, suddenly sober. The smooth bronze skin of his face had been marred, his eye blackened, his cheek bruised. A cut from a ring was bright against his cheek, surrounded by the purple of a dark bruise. His knuckles had gripped the steering wheel painfully tight, the cuts on the skin bright red against the white. Reid hadn't ever seen Tyler so pissed before but that anger seemed to fade when they reached the dorm and Tyler realized just how badly Reid had been hurt. Just how many cuts and bruises littered his body. Reid hadn't Used on Aaron, and for some reason, that made all the difference.

Tyler returned a few hours later, grimacing at the state that Reid had fallen asleep in. He'd fallen asleep fully clothed in jeans soaked in alcohol and a bloody t-shirt. His blonde hair obscurred his eyes, the blonde slowly giving way to crimson.

He quickly kicked off his shoes and jeans and pulled his shirt off over his head before sliding into bed. Sleep almost instantly claimed the younger boy and before he knew it he was waking to the shrilling ring of their shared alarm clock. Reid easily ignored it, so Tyler reached over and clumsily shut it off.

Tyler had stumbled out of bed and quickly pulled on his uniform. His head was pounding, and he felt forever drowsy. He glanced at his hair in the mirror. It lay limp on his head, dipping down to partially obscurre his eyes. How long had it been since he'd gone to class without spikes? Years, probably. But he didn't give a shit. He was tired, and he ran a hand through the hair to tease out whatever tangles there were. And then he stumbled over to Reid's bed and kicked it hard. The boy stirred but he wasn't moving fast enough so Tyler hit his chest hard and received a pained hiss.

"What the fuck man?" Reid moaned, recoiling in on himself and grasping the bruise on his chest that Tyler had just hit.

"Get up," Tyler told him stiffly. And then he grabbed his bag and disappeared.

An hour and fifteen minutes later and Reid still hadn't made it to class. The bell had rang fifteen minutes ago, but Reid had insisted on taking a shower. To rinse the mixture of blood and alcohol out of his hair. He showed up to class fifteen minutes late, wet hair plastered to his forehead, his shirt ruffled and unbuttoned. Beneath it was a black t-shirt with the words _I heart Hentai _shining bright in red letters. His shirt was untucked and his tie hung limp on his shoulders. "Ah, Mr. Garwin," his English teacher chirped upon his arrival. Ms. Locus always had a soft spot for Reid. She liked to joke with him, and he appreciatively returned her jokes. They both knew she wouldn't reprimand him for being late, and sometimes that's why he showed up to class on time. "So kind of you for gracing us with your appearance. However disheveled that appearance tends to be. Late night?"

Reid nodded slowly. "Yeah, a bit," he murmured. He bit back the grimace upon realizing that his lip was cut bad enough to sting when he talked. "You know how it is."

"I'm sure I do," Ms. Locus commented dryly. "I'm sure Mr. Abbot has the unfortunate circumstance to know 'how it is' too." Reid flashed her a quick smirk. "Go ahead and take your seat, Reid."

Reid nodded and made his way up the stadium seats to collapse heavily beside Tyler. "I woke you up an hour ago," Tyler told him quietly.

Reid glanced down at Tyler. The boy was perched forward, his head cradled on his folded arms, his eyes closed. "Fell back asleep," Reid admitted. Tyler grunted but let the conversation die. The class progressed slowly. Locus never called on Reid. He wasn't sure why, but it was almost like she was empathic. What a teacher should be. Calling on those that volunteered, or those overachievers who always knew the answers. She often called on Tyler, whether his hand was raised or not, but today she opted to let him sleep. Reid sighed deeply and sank back on his bench, tilting his head back and letting his eyes close. He could feel the eyes of Caleb boring into his back but he chose to ignore him. Caleb started plenty of fights with Reid, so how dare he expect nobody else to fight. Even though he felt the eyes of Caleb, he seemed to miss the eyes of the new student. The one that he hadn't even noticed in the past week that she'd been attending classes with him.

Reid slipped out of the class as soon as the bell rang, nodding acknowledement toward Ms. Locus before starting down the hall. He could hear the loud chatter of students as they emptied the classroom in the distant, and then he heard what he'd been waiting for. His name being called. He ignore it and kept walking but Caleb was relentless. He appeared beside him, falling in step with him and Reid gave a frustrated grunt. "What?"

"What the hell did you do?" Caleb demanded, his voice louder than necessary. Reid could see students turning toward the quiet shout.

"Nothing," Reid muttered, shrugging uncomfortably. "It's my business, so just lay off, alright?"

"No," Caleb snapped. "I saw Aaron before class. Did you do that to him?"

Reid scoffed. "No. He did that to himself."

Caleb pulled up short and shoved Reid against the row of lockers that lined the hallway. Reid's surprise quickly bled into anger. "And Tyler -- is he apart of your business too? I'm getting tired of you dragging him into your idiotic games."

Caleb's hand was pressed hard against Reid's chest, holding him in place. Reid was embarassingly aware of the gawking students struggling to pass without taking their eyes off of the pair. "I didn't drag him into shit," Reid snapped. "Brody did that."

"You're so fucking irresponsible, Reid," Caleb spat in a scathing tone. "Can't you go one week without fighting?"

"I dunno," Reid murmured, suddenly mellow. "Haven't tried it."

"People are watching, Caleb." Reid's head jerked up and he realized that Tyler was standing beside them. Tyler was staring avidly at the passing students. "Aaron started the fight. We were drunk. It happens. Just let it go."

Tyler sounded tired but Caleb still managed to glare at him. "Go to class, Tyler. This is between me and Reid."

"Dude," Tyler snapped. "I was in that fight too. Quit treating me like a fucking victim." And then he disappeared in the crowd of students passing them.

"Quit treating me like a child," Reid added as he shoved Caleb back. "I got into a fight. We broke some shit. And now it's done, Caleb. Now mind your own damn business. You're not my father." He shoved past him and continued on down the hall.


End file.
